The invention is directed to bathtubs, shower enclosures, water control fixtures and the like and more particularly to resilient surfaces for bathtubs, shower stalls and the like and the placement of or integral formation of non-slip material on the resilient on floor or bottom bathtub and shower stalls to prevent injury to the user from slipping and falling and in the event of a slip and fall accident protecting that person from serious impact injury.
Bathtubs, shower stalls, faucets and water delivery fixtures are well known in the art and generally bathtubs are constructed of cast iron covered with porcelain, panted or gel coated fiberglass, painted metal, or the like, shower stalls are generally similarly constructed and fixtures and water delivery fixtures are protruding metal devices. The prior art bathtubs and shower stalls are generally constructed as a completed unit and installed in a desired location in a dwelling or the like and attached to the necessary plumbing for a source of hot and cold water and a suitable drain.
It is well known that numerous slip and fall accidents occur in these devices as they now exist. Although some of the falls are non-injurious, most result in some injury to at least result in soft tissue injuries that require no medical attention, while others result in more serious injuries and sometimes even in death of the injured person.
There have been numerous attempts to prevent these slip and fall injuries that frequently occur to bathers. Prior art attempts to solve this problem can be found in the following U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,080,601; 3,045,254; 3,133,292; 3,429,085; and British Patent number 809,206. The problems in the teachings of these patents is that both the tubs, shower stalls and fixtures are covered with a protective resilient cover or coatings none of these prior art devices consider that the outer surfaces of the resilient material suggested is in itself very slick when becoming wet and itself lends to causing a person using the tub or shower to be more susceptible to a slip and fall accident. Granted the resilient material would probably prevent severe injury to a person falling but the trauma of the fall and any injury even so slight can cause serious mental injury the that person especially if that person is frail and/or elderly.
Some bathtubs and stalls have non-slip material attached to the bottom or on floors thereof, numerous adhesive strips with exposed rough surfaces in the form of designs, etc. are available for adhesive attachment to the bottom of tubs and floors of shower stalls. Admittedly, these devices aid in preventing a person from slipping when using a bathtub or shower. Also it is well known that railings are provide for elderly people to assist there entry into and exit from a bathtub or shower stall. Like the prior mentioned anti-slip devices, these railings prevent many slip and fall accidents.
Even with the above devices in place an occasional slip and fall accident results causing severe injury while entering, transgressing or exiting a bath tub or shower stall.
There is no teachings in these prior art references to in addition to the resilient material provided some form of a non-slip surface either in the form of add on non-slip strips or ridges or the like formed in the exposed bottom or floor of the resilient material.
Until the emergence of the present invention there has been no means to prevent injury to that occasional slip and fall injury occurring in a bathtub or shower stall.